Fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison is turning the camera on her own legacy. Documentary “Invisible Beauty,” co-directed by Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng (“Dior and I”), premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and later screened at Tribeca in the spring. The feature charts model and modeling agent Hardison’s impact on the fashion industry after having pushed the boundaries of what being a supermodel looks like.
Per the official synopsis: “In her lifetime, Bethann Hardison has seen the pendulum swing toward and away from the Black model. At every setback, she spoke up and rallied her colleagues and clients in the industry to advance change. Now in her 70s, the Brooklyn native is writing her memoir, taking stock of her own legacy at a moment when the fashion industry was shaken by discrimination. Directors Tcheng and Hardison trace her impact on fashion from runway shows in the 1970s to roundtables about the lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s.”
The documentary features interviews with Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya, Fran Lebowitz, Tyson Beckford, Pat Cleveland, Stephen Burrows, and Naomi Campbell, who also executive produces the film.
Hallee Adelman, John Boccardo, Derek Esplin, Ivy Herman, Rick Rosenthal, Nancy Stephens, and Andrea Van Beuren also serve as executive producers, with David Chan, Heidi and Chris Stolte, and Robina Riccitiello co-executive producing.
Lisa Cortés is the sole producer. “Invisible Beauty” is a Cortés Filmworks production, in association with a Lane B Production, Vogue Studios, Whitewater Films, and justfilms/Ford Foundation.
“Often I have said I didn’t think I had a story to document but once I got out of my way and allowed the collaboration with Frédéric, it made me a believer,” Hardison said in a press statement. “The impact of hearing the responses of the audience has made me know further that this is and will be a film of legacy.”
IndieWire’s review of the film called Hardison an “unsung hero” of the fashion world and praised Hardison’s eye as a director.
“She doesn’t gloss over the more painful aspects of her personal life, such as her somewhat strained relationship with her son, ‘A Different World’ star Kadeem Hardison,” the review reads. “For anyone who wasn’t paying close attention to fashion at the time, it’s an illuminating record of what was going on behind the scenes, and an important reminder of how much media is shaped by the fashion industry. It’s easy enough to draw parallels to the battles for representation playing out in Hollywood, even if the film doesn’t explicitly draw those parallels. It’s a vital reminder of how much the images we ingest, whether intentionally or not, shape our worldview. That’s something Hardison understands all too well.”
“Invisible Beauty” premieres in New York theaters September 15, followed by Los Angeles theaters September 22. A wider national rollout will begin September 29 from Magnolia Pictures. Check out the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.
